


Kilobytes

by coolangelsthesis



Category: Watch Dogs (Video Games)
Genre: Flirting, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Idiots in Love, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Pining, Pranks and Practical Jokes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-06
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-24 03:14:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21331345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coolangelsthesis/pseuds/coolangelsthesis
Summary: A collection of WD2 ficlets, through #WordH4ckers (writing prompts throughout November 2019 hosted by @creslightning on Twitter), requests on tumblr, and other small pieces!
Relationships: Marcus Holloway/Wrench
Comments: 12
Kudos: 40





	1. Busywork

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally meant for just the #WordH4ckers event, but I'm revamping this fic to include some other short fics I've wrote! ... In hopes to motivate myself to write some short things.
> 
> Have any prompt requests? HMU on [twitter](https://twitter.com/sleepdrifting) or on [tumblr](https://vurtkonnegut.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> And, as always, thank you for reading! Kudos/comments are always greatly appreciated if you enjoyed it. <3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> #WordH4ckers prompt 1: Partners
> 
> DedSec showed him that there was safety in numbers... or some bullshit like that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a suuper short little drabble, I'm trying to tap back into my writing well again!!
> 
> And a big thank you to [DramaticalHearts](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kusokawaii/pseuds/DramaticalHearts) for beta-ing <3

It takes Marcus maybe thirty seconds to realize he’s left Wrench in the dust. Looking down from the building he has just hoisted himself onto, he sees Wrench stuck on the shorter building below, trying to decide the best route upwards. After probably too much deliberation, Wrench goes for the easiest option: the shoddy-looking metal stairs, barely keeping together.

Marcus can’t help but laugh a little.

“Y’know, you kinda suck at keeping up,” he calls down, being met by Wrench’s mask flashing him grumpy-looking slashes.

“Fuck off, Mr. Acrobat,” Wrench shouts back, flipping Marcus the bird too for good measure, “I’ve got shitty legs and no upper arm strength. Sorry I can’t compete with your cool parkour stuff.”

“Nah, I think you could get around it. Making your own jetpack? A jetpack would be badass… But then I’d want one too.”

“Well, shit, now I _ have _to make one to make you jealous.” Once Wrench— finally— catches up to Marcus, he groans and flops against his side. Though the spikes are digging into his shoulder, the feel of his warmth is comforting, almost.

“It’s alright, though, I’ve just accepted that I will never be as cool as Marcus.” Wrencus pauses the melodramatic to peel himself off Marcus, his mask switching to happy carets. “Lucky for me, though, ‘Marcus Doing Badass Shit’ is pretty high up on my list of turn-ons.”

Marcus smirks, probably from how blunt Wrench is about it. Not that anything between them had been established or anything, but there were enough prolonged glances and enough late-night deep talks to amount to something _ more _than just friends. But maybe he was looking too deep into it.

“As much as I appreciate it, I did not bring you along just so I could be your eye candy,” he replies. “Find me a quiet way in and out. Emphasis on the quiet part. Don’t know about you, but I’m really not feeling having another !nViTE situation tonight.”

Wrench shrugs. “Ah, don’t worry about it. I’m excellent at multitasking.”

“Uh-huh. If I get shot, I’m forwarding my medical bills to you.” Chuckling, Marcus finds a comfortable spot on the floor and pulls out his laptop and breaks into the server farm across the street like it’s nothing. 

They’re on humanitarian work tonight— they’re out cleaning out the remnants of ransomware from the Bratva’s most recent attack on Bay Area hospitals. Marcus knew it was just busywork, something Sitara delegated out to him just because he could get it done more quickly and efficiently than anybody else. He asked Wrench to tag along… just because. He honestly didn’t want to be doing something boring alone.

No, it wasn’t that. Though the stakes were low, it didn’t mean it was boring. It was just that any time spent fucking up the Bratva’s plans was one of Wrench’s favorite activities— and throwing Wrench into the mix was always bound to be a good time.

And thankfully for them, tonight was going to be an even easier night. The cameras were mostly clear, only a handful of night guards patrolling the empty server farm. Easy enough to avoid— or take out, depending on how bad it went. 

On the topic of things going wrong, Wrench was busy surveying the exterior of the building.

“Honestly… I mean, you could just waltz in and out of the place, dude. Half of their security alarms aren’t even programmed.” He snorts, looking back to Marcus. “It’s like they were begging to be hacked.”

“Well, I’ll be sure to tighten things up on my way out. A gift from DedSec.”

“Ohh man, you’re good. Sitara will be all over that. So I’m gonna scan through whatever scripts you can find to see if anything would be usable for Josh. We wanna break all their shit.”

“Well, try not to miss me too much while I’m gone. I’ll be fast.”

Wrench dramatically places a hand over his chest, mask flashing lamenting semicolons. “Oh, no, my dear Marcus, I _ ache _ at the thought of you leaving me here, in the cold, on my—”

“Yeah, okay, bye Wrench,” Marcus says, pulling his bandana over his face. But he’s totally grinning to himself as he descends the shitty stairs Wrench had took.

Yeah, he could have easily gone by himself, finished the job in less than a half-hour, and be on his way. He was used to it being that way. But DedSec showed him that there was safety in numbers... or some bullshit like that. Working in a group of hackers meant never having to work alone.

Whatever the reason, didn’t matter. He could probably rope Wrench into pulling another horror marathon with him after this, and deciding what to watch was far more important.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!!! I had previously posted this fic individually a couple days ago, but am reposting in this ficlet collection. whoopsie! Thank you for (possibly) reading it again!


	2. Absence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> #WordH4ckers Prompt 2: Death/Regrets
> 
> The two-year anniversary of Horatio’s death caught everyone off guard, Marcus especially. It came far too quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Un-beta'd, so I apologize for any terrible mistakes!

Bored and completely over trying to decrypt their latest intel, Marcus decided that it was about time to bug Horatio. He took a moment to stretch before going to the fridge, pulling out two beers, then wandering over to Horatio. 

Marcus waited to see if he would notice he was there before he did anything. Nope. Instead, he tapped him on the shoulder.

Realizing who it was, Horatio grinned. He pushed off his headphones and twisted around his seat. “Hey! What’s up, man?”

“C’mon,” Marcus began, offering out one of the beers, “You deserve a little break. I haven’t seen you look away from that screen since you got here.”

Horatio gladly took the drink. “Thanks for the concern, doc. Have to keep my eyes in good condition. Who needs a half-blind hacker, right?”

“Hey, is that about my glasses? Psh, whatever. And I was going to say it's because you haven’t been around HQ at all lately. We need to catch up.”

“Yeah… sorry about that.” Horatio sighed. “Been trying to keep a low profile after everything at Nudle. Kinda had to. Trust me, I wish I could be here more. I’m aching to help you guys out.”

“Nah, man, you’ve already done enough as it is. I get it.”

They crossed the short path from Horatio’s desk to the nearby couch, with Marcus settling in to the worn-in cushions.

“So what have you been doing with yourself with all your free time?” he continued, scooting over as Horatio took a seat next to him. “Besides missing all of us, of course.”

“Alright, maybe you, Josh, and Sitara, but…” Horatio laughed. “To be honest? Not much, really. Been playing some games, messing with some old remixes...”

Marcus grinned. “Ohhh, so you plan on bringing back DJ Ratio anytime soon?”

“_Just _Ratio. And nah, I’m over DJing, but I still enjoy making music. Nothing I have is good yet, though.” Marcus had never seen Horatio look so enthusiastic when talking about something— except for maybe DedSec. “There’s something so freeing about it. Making something out of nothing like that. Plus, it’s a perfect way to get our voice out there. If we put out some good mixes, created a reputation for ourselves, we could attract even more followers.”

“Damn, never thought about it that way.” Marcus took a long drink of his beer. “Have you talked to Sitara about it?”

“Not yet, but I think she’d be down for it. I think she’d love to make some music videos out of ‘em, too.”

“Oh, hell yeah, she would. You know, if you’re willing, I would love to hear what you’ve been working on, too.”

Horatio looked away, thinking to himself.

“Uhh… like I said, nothing’s all that good right now,” he finally answered, turning back to Marcus, smiling apologetically. “Once I have something a bit more polished and put together, then absolutely.”

Marcus paused. It was rare for Horatio to be this open about himself… it was nice. He started to wish that they could hang out outside of DedSec more easily without raising any suspicions. Fucking Nudle, having way too much of a hand in everything.

“I’m going to hold you to that.”

***

A week later, Horatio stopped answering his phone. 

***

The two-year anniversary of Horatio’s death caught everyone off guard, Marcus especially. It came far too quickly.

The first anniversary was brutal, just like it had been in the weeks following Horatio’s death. Nobody in HQ could focus on work, with everyone too preoccupied to take care of everybody else’s grief. Wrench had managed to lighten the mood by recalling funny stories, and soon enough, so did everyone else. The night managed to end bittersweet, rather than spent wallowing in grief. Even if Horatio was gone, they would keep his memory going strong to make sure no-one in DedSec forgot about him.

The second anniversary, though, seemed to arrive out of nowhere. Marcus wanted to kick himself in the ass for not realizing it was coming sooner. Things had been busy around HQ… but that was no kind of excuse. He had let it fall to the back of his mind, and Horatio deserved better than that. 

God… somehow, it kind of hurt to think about all DedSec had accomplished since then. They took down Blume. Became a household name. Helped start other DedSec groups around the world. Gave people hope. 

But Horatio wasn’t there to see any of it. Marcus never found a theory for what happens after death that he truly liked, but part of him wanted to believe that Horatio was out there somewhere, looking after everyone, rooting them on. That _ would _ account for the amount of times he had narrowly avoided his own death.

Regardless of whether Horatio was working as DedSec’s guardian angel or not, Marcus and the rest of DedSec had always ensured that Horatio’s presence was never forgotten in the Hackerspace. Outside of most of his hardware, Horatio’s workstation had been left completely intact-- down to the half-written sticky notes he used to leave all over the sides of his monitors. Nobody could bear to take anything down.

A thick layer of dust had settled over everything in those two years, Marcus noted as he dragged his finger over Horatio’s desk. Disrupting the dust almost made him feel guilty.

“Hey,” a voice from behind him said, pulling him out of his thoughts. It was Sitara. “You doing alright?”

“Hey,” he replied, wondering just how long he had spent staring at Horatio’s desk to warrant a ‘You doing alright?’ from Sitara. “I mean, all things considered.”

“Yeah…” She paused, sighing. “They say it gets easier with time, but I don’t know if I buy that anymore. Because this fucking sucks.”

“I was just thinking about how Horatio didn’t get to see us do anything big. He missed out on everything.”

“Don’t say th— that’s not true. We went after New Dawn, Tidis, even fuckin’ Nudle with him. But…”

“But not Blume.”

“We couldn’t have done any of it without him. He played a huge part in everything we’ve ever done. So at least there’s that.”

They both went quiet for a moment, steeping in their collective grief.

“I found something I wanted to show you.” Sitara smiled with the promise of lightening the mood. She pulled out her phone and pulled up one of her music apps. “I was sad and went looking through some of our old drives to see if I could find any nostalgia. I found some of his music he used to play during DJ sets and… shit, he has some _ kick-ass _ stuff. Wanna hear some?”

Excited, Marcus grinned. “Hell yeah, I do.”

Sitara hit play, and Marcus could immediately tell it was a remix of something he had heard before. Maybe it had been on the pirate radio at one point or another, but the whole thing screamed Horatio: powerful in the beat and rhythm, where it mattered and made grooving along to the song almost irresistible. 

“Damn,” was all Marcus could say as the song faded out. Sitara nodded in agreement, shuffling to another one of his songs. “We’ve got to let more people hear this. You should use them in your videos or… shit, DedSec music videos? Make ‘em go viral.”

Sitara grinned, the telling sign she had an idea brewing. “Why haven’t we done that before? I could totally edit together something spectacular in no time… I love that idea. Nice work.”

“You should thank Horatio, honestly. Before… it happened, he told me he had wanted to do something like that for DedSec.”

“Well, thank you, Horatio.” Sitara glanced to the abandoned desk. “You’ve always had great ideas.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!!! I've always wanted to write something like this but never had the chance... #HoratioDeservedBetter


	3. Never Gonna Tell A Lie and Hurt You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt request from tumblr: Someone gets rickrolled, haha

“No, it’s not Base64. That would be too easy.” Josh squinted at his computer monitor, staring at the string of incomprehensible numbers and letters. There was a pattern here. Somewhere. “Give me a second.”

Wrench folded his arms over his chest, clicking his tongue. “Hmmm… yep. That’s pretty encrypted alright. You tried putting it into Hexadecimal?”

Josh paused, giving him a look. “Of course.”

“Alright! Just checking. Guy must have some brain on him, at least.”

Marcus had great timing, as he descended down HQ’s stairs. Sensing commotion, he strayed over towards Wrench and Josh. “Hey. Find something interesting?”

“Was out smoking and when I got back, I found a flashdrive with some cryptid message on it hanging by the door. Had _I’m waiting_ written all ominously on it and everything.” Wrench winked at Marcus— odd. Marcus squinted at him. “Josh booted up a virtual machine and found an encrypted text file. We’ve been trying to figure it o—”

“I’ve got it.” Josh said, fingers flying over his keyboard. In just a few seconds the incomprehensible mess became something more readable, a link of sorts…

“A video?” Marcus questioned, learning in. Josh clicked on the hyperlink. As if the browser and HQ’s internet connection was sentient, it lagged and stalled before the page loaded up, drawing out the suspense.

Then _that _song. Loud obnoxious drum beat and synths and a dude with a baby face in a suit dancing in front of a microphone.

Wrench howled with laughter, patting Josh on the back. “Ahahaha, I got you! Oh my god, the look on your face!”

Josh just started, unimpressed and unamused. Closing out of the browser, he shook his head. “Your encryption skills are terrible, by the way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As mentioned, I'm revamping this fic collection to include some other short stuff I've wrote! And btw, I'm always down for prompt requests ;)


	4. Golden Hour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wrench is just as much of a cheesy motherfucker as Marcus is; they’re a match made in cheesy motherfucker heaven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm writing something very sad at the moment, and of course, needed something sweet to compensate because I am sad, sappy, and gay

Marcus glances down at his phone. Wrench said he would only be gone ten minutes, but it’s been closer to twenty. Looking back up, he searches the overcrowded pier for spikes or LEDs. That mask made losing Wrench in a crowd nearly impossible, yet here he was, having lost Wrench in a crowd.

In retrospect, even thinking of visiting Pier 39 was welcoming chaos, but they’re spending the day playing tourist-- sightseeing and visiting all of the tourist traps locals wouldn’t be caught dead doing: Alcatraz, Fisherman’s Wharf, the like-- so why _ not _ go all in?

Seriously, though, where the hell is Wrench?

It’s only when a group of tourists move to get a better look at the seals that he finally spots Wrench. He’s lost, aimlessly wandering about, apparently on the search for Marcus. And it’s not long after that Wrench spots him too, indicated by the expression on his mask lighting up.

He pushes past people on his way over to Marcus, accompanying him on the waterfront.

“Marcus! There you are,” Wrench sighs, relieved. He rests his weight against Marcus’ shoulder like an overly-affectionate pet-- minding the spikes, though. “This place is a fucking zoo. Is it usually this crazy? All these tourists think I’m a street performer or something. Pff, like nobody’s seen a guy in a mask before. _ Please. _ Oh yeah, you want some?” 

Wrench holds up the spoils from his adventure: an ungodly amount of ice cream for one person, already half-eaten, whatever’s melted threatening to pool down the sides. And it’s, ugh...

“Aw, man, I hate mint chocolate,” Marcus says, feigning hurt. “How the hell have you been eating that with your mask on anyway?”

“Carefully.”

Demonstrating, Wrench pulls up his mask enough to free his mouth. He takes a hefty bite-- with teeth-- then pulls the leather back down.

Meanwhile, Marcus feels horrified. “Dude.”

“Aah, owwww, shit...” Wrench shivers with the cold, the mask flinching in pain with the onset of brain freeze. “Okay, yeah, that was too much. Ow...”

“Maybe don’t use your teeth?” Marcus chuckles, patting his boyfriend’s shoulder in consolation.

He gives Wrench a moment to recuperate from the cold, turning his attention to the water in front of them. The approaching sunset is making a beautiful spectacle of the sky, soft orange and yellow, enshrouding the bay in a golden glow.

It’s picturesque, and it gives Marcus an excellent idea.

“Yo, Wrench,” Marcus pulls out his phone and opens the camera app, offering it out to him once he’s recovered, “You mind?”

“Hah, you nerd. Sure.” Wrench’s mask flashes an amused emoticon, grabbing the phone with his free hand. “I’m starting to feel like your Instagram boyfriend, you know.”

“Is that a good or a bad thing? ‘sides, I look great today, why wouldn’t I get a pic?”

“It means you’re a nerd, nerd.” Wrench laughs, stepping back. “But that’s a good point, you always look good, M.”

“I knew you’d get me.”

Knowing his best angles, Marcus poses for the camera. Wrench takes a couple photos, even moving to other angles for better lighting. Finished, Wrench hands off the phone as he comes back to his boyfriend’s side. Marcus flips through the photos, happy with the result but not quite satisfied.

That’s when another brilliant idea hits him.

“Wrench,” Marcus says, grabbing his attention but giving him little time to react. He wraps an arm around his shoulders, effectively trapping him in place as he angles his phone, camera at the ready. “Can I?”

Trying to get a good photo with Wrench is like pulling teeth. He’s camera shy even with the mask on, so Marcus treasures every photo he can get of them together. Even if that takes willing some of his charismatic charm.

Wrench hesitates for a moment, his discomfort palpable. Despite his protest he obliges, leaning in closer. “Okay, fine. But you’re not gonna turn me into your Instagram boyfriend. I refuse.”

“Sure, whatever. That’s on you, not me.” Marcus grins and quickly snaps a photo of the two of them, making it as painless as possible for his boyfriend. 

“Well? Let’s see it.” Wrench grabs for his phone, swiping to the most recent photo. He analyzes it for a while, but after a moment of contemplating, he hands Marcus his phone back. With the pleased ‘^^’ on his mask, he must be happy with the result. 

“Send that to me?” Wrench asks, all smiles. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go throw away the rest of this ‘cause I’ve just turned myself off from ice cream for a few weeks.”

Marcus checks the photo for himself; the sunset and the water are gorgeous, but so is Wrench-- especially the heart emoticons on his mask. _That_ makes his heart do a backflip.

Wrench is just as much of a cheesy motherfucker as Marcus is; they’re a match made in cheesy motherfucker heaven.

Marcus takes the opportunity alone to do something that would warrant his boyfriend calling him out on his cheesiness. He goes into settings and swaps his background from Sitara’s art to the photo of the two of them. Part of him feels guilty for the change, but they’re really cute together. She’d get it.

He locks his phone, turns it back on. As the photo of the two greets him, he can’t resist a smile.

Which catches Wrench’s attention as he heads back towards him. He cocks his head, question marks on his mask. “Whatcha looking at?”

Marcus locks his phone, tucking it away. He wraps an arm around Wrench in a half-hug.

“It's nothing,” he says, still smiling. As he pulls away, he plants a quick kiss on the top of Wrench’s head. “Thanks, Wrench.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I GOT MY COPY OF LEGION EARLY AND I AM AWAITING PLAYING IT THIS VERY MOMENT AHHHHHH. perfect timing that i finished up some wrencus right on time to play legion
> 
> i have forgotten how to write please help me, a la "man not sure why he thought most psychologically taxing situation of his life would be the thing to make him productive" LMAO  
a big thank you to [dramaticalhearts](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kusokawaii/pseuds/DramaticalHearts) for making me sound coherent <3
> 
> bye bye heading off to future London now (I cannot WAIT to play as Wrench)!!!


End file.
